by: Craig - 31st March 2010

Full review

I'd always driven right past Keystone to head to Breck and Vail but this year we stayed at Keystone so we had to ski it at least once! I was a little surprised to find that I actually like it. Their frontside groomers are a lot of fun and steep! If you like to ski fast on groomers, this is the place to do it. The only problem is that Keystone usually gets less snow than those "other" I-70 resorts, so their groomers are often deach traps of ice littered with novice carcasses. So be wary.
If you can, make it to the Outback as quickly as you can. The view from the top of Outback is unbeatable. You can see straight across the valley and get a good look at Breckenridge. Off the Outback, depending on snow conditions, you could spend plenty of time hitting Wolverine and Pika. They are nice tree skiing runs with intermittent bumps. I was also a fan of Oh Bob and the Grizz for my mogul fix. If you're feeling up for it, I would certainly recommend their Cat skiing. It's super cheap, $5 for a ride up the Outback bowls which are excellent with a fresh coat of pow. And you really can't beat the price for an unreserved cat ride.
Keystone is a nice place to stay because it's so close to Denver and parking is simple. But the downside is that there is no town to speak of. BYOB because there is nowhere to go out.
The bottom line is that Keystone won't be as crowded as Breck or Vail, but they have great skiing there so maybe your next super Saturday could be spent a little closer to the Mile High City.
Random Tip: If the Gondola line is long, walk across the bridge and take the Summit Express. It goes to the same place, it's faster than the gondy, and there is rarely any line.